November 24, 2019 – I was tasked with the assignment to get sister something she was not able to get in Dallas. It took me three trips, and the thing isn’t all that relevant, but I did get it. And along the way, I took two trips to Rodeo Drive; the other to the Glendale Galleria, if you’re curious.

Rodeo Drive is a place is I drive on, usually to show guests, because it’s beautiful, but I rarely walk there. I don’t think I’ve walked it since about 2013. It was about the time I started this site that I last went there. I got my makeup done at Neiman Marcus that day. I remember. That’s a really special thing to do. And mind you, Neiman’s is on Wilshire Boulevard, not Rodeo, but I did walk on Rodeo that day. And I did yesterday too.

Sure, I only bought this thing I was tasked to get for my sister, but I walked all the way from the north end to the south, having parked in the residential neighborhood to the north. I walked on each side of the street too. With the exception of Chanel and Cartier, both on the east side, I think I prefer the west side.

It was really Christmassy. They had music playing on the sidewalk. There were lights and decorations. There were grassy statue things, festive little motifs, none of which I seem to remember now, just that they were there. The people walking were mostly women, mostly, some with kids. The store windows were good. My first job was for a high-end store, and I used to take care of the windows. I kept them looking nice; that takes work. I could see the work that went into them. The jewelry store windows are my favorite. I like sparkly things. And there were so few people in the jewelry stores. Except Cartier. Cartier had a couple buying an engagement ring. The diamond was placed on a felt pad. It was yellow. I could see it from ten feet away; it was emerald cut, at least one inch wide, not sure how tall. The sales person was saying how the couple would be successful because the man said he was the planner. The sales person said that opposites make for success. There was another, more settled couple, looking at watches. I heard the man say he dare not buy anything for his wife because she takes everything back. That sales person was quoting a price. I’m not sure I remember exactly, but it was either $28,000 or $38,000, and a plus, there is now a really long service warranty, like twelve years, I think she said, because the batteries now have that long of a life. I doubted that.

I went into David Yurman (also jewelry) next. They had these rings in the window that were completely sparkly, sort of a signet shape, each in a different gemstone color. I was going to look at those, just for the sake of seeing how they were made, but I got distracted by a more traditional signet ring. I love signet rings, and instead of an initial, it had a horse. I love horses. That sales person let me try it on. He started to tell me it was a size six, meant for a pinky, but as he was saying that, I put it on my ring finger, each of them, actually. Feeling like I had violated the rules of signet rings, or the instructions, whichever, I took it off and put it on my right pinky, which I’m pretty sure is the appropriate finger for a signet ring. The ring completely overwhelmed that finger, and he said it was better how I had it first. I told him that I really like horses. He explained that the Yurmans (these apparently are actual people in the present day) are equestrians, really into horses they are. I’m sure they are quite different “horse people” than I am, but how sweet that this Rodeo Drive sales person was trying to find something nice for me to relate to. I thanked him, and told him he had the best outfit on, ever. He did. He was so stylish, without looking ridiculous. He had on David Yurman jewelry too; usually I don’t like jewelry on men, but this was really well done. It matched his outfit. I took a picture of the horse signet ring. I’ve since deleted the picture because that’s totally impossible; there will be no $1,875 (I think that was the price) ring for me. Not for a long time, and by then, hopefully I have a horse, not a ring of a horse.

That day was a strange one. There was so little Christmas in this place, even though there were decorations everywhere, even though that was likely the point of the shopping I did witness. I suppose my favorite thing was the fact that I managed to get this present my sister wanted for her daughter, even if it did feel much more like a task. I thought I would come out of it wanting, wanting something outrageous for my Christmas list, but I didn’t. Sure, I suppose in a world that isn’t my own, my Christmas list would include that signet ring with the horse, but even that I don’t really want.

No, I came out of it thankful, thankful I am not so obnoxious that I would take a Cartier watch back, seriously they’re all beautiful, thankful that I don’t need a diamond you can see ten feet away, thankful that the Christmas lights I did buy for my house and that came the same day will make me happy.

They’re red, my Christmas lights, and old school, not LED. I had to put the bulbs into the sockets for each of the three strings today, and I’ll put them on my house over the Thanksgiving holiday.

So that’s it. This week, I’ll add two things for my Christmas list:

Item 2: Red old-school Christmas lights; check

Item 3: Thankfulness. And I guess that’s a check too. And right in time for Thanksgiving.

So…

Happy Thanksgiving all.

And just to put something about music in this story, here’s my song I’m playing now. I dedicate it to you all (just the way Freddie says) for Thanksgiving.

Oh and next week, I’ll have to have Item 4 of my Christmas list be something I haven’t already checked off ….